Young Brit Chilton closer to F1 debut after being named Marussia reserve

Marussia have appointed young Briton Max Chilton as their reserve driver for the remainder of the season.

The 21-year-old from Reigate is currently enjoying a strong season in GP2 for Marussia's junior team after they joined forces with Carlin at the start of the campaign.

Chilton scored his first victory of the season in the feature race in Hungary at the end of July from pole position, and at present is fifth in the standings going into the final race this weekend in Singapore.

Brit special: Max Chilton (right) has been named as Marussia's reserve driver

Chilton has already taken part in two young driver test sessions, the second of which was at Silverstone in July, building up his mileage to acquire his superlicence.

From this weekend Chilton will attend all of the remaining races and take part in Marussia's engineering commitments.

Team principal John Booth said: "Max's impressive performances in GP2 this season have gone far from unnoticed, and he seems to mature with each new round.

'An important part of the education of any young driver looking to progress to the highest level of motor sport is spending time working closely with the engineers and other, more experienced drivers.

'In the role of our reserve driver for the rest of the season, Max will be exposed to the demands of competing in Formula One to the extent he will be fully prepared to step into the car should it be required.

'Max has driven at our young driver test, so this is an opportunity for him to build on his experience of working with the engineers, as well as the other demands placed on our drivers, including marketing activity.'

Rising star: Chilton previously tested for Force India

There is the prospect of Chilton being handed an opportunity in a first practice session later this year, potentially Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit as it is a track he knows from previous experience.

This move could even lead to Chilton being on the F1 grid next year as a replacement for Charles Pic, and he is not without the financial means as father Grahame is chairman of insurance giants Aon Benfield and vice-chairman of the Aon Group.

Looking ahead to his new role, Chilton said: 'My experience with the team at Silverstone for the young driver test was a great taste of how F1 operates.

'I'm so excited to be able to extend that into a proper working relationship as reserve driver at the remaining F1 events this year.

'I feel like my racing has really matured this season and to now be able to combine that with real insight into the engineering activities of an F1 team, and the level of preparation required of an F1 driver, really moves my career onto the next level.'